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Seniors abuse under-reported says B.C. Seniors Advocate at Maple Ridge event

Isobel Mackenzie’s report says system is fragmented for reporting and tracking cases of abuse in B.C.
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B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie spent time in Maple Ridge talking about her report released by her office in December called Hidden and Invisible: Seniors Abuse and Neglect in British Columbia. (Colleen Flanagan/The News)

Seniors abuse and neglect is much more prevalent in communities across the province than is officially reported.

That is the finding of B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie who spent time in Maple Ridge talking about her report released by her office in December called Hidden and Invisible: Seniors Abuse and Neglect in British Columbia.

In it the Office of the Seniors Advocate found that abuse and neglect of people over the age of 65 have increased significantly over the past five years. There has been: a 49 per cent increase in reports of abuse, neglect, and self-neglect to health authorities; a 69 per cent increase in reports of victims of violent crime to RCMP; an 87 per cent increase in reports of physical abuse and a 49 per cent increase of financial abuse to Vancouver police; a 30 per cent increase in reports of abuse to bc211 – a non-profit society that connects people to community, health and government resources for help; and a five per cent increase in reports to the Seniors Abuse and Information Line.

One of Mackenzie’s key concerns about the findings is that there is a fragmented system of reporting and tracking information, and gaps in services that indicate the numbers may be much higher.

“We have a population of seniors that’s about the same size as the population of under 19 children. Yet, when it comes to abuse and neglect we find that over six times as many incidents are reported for children than are reported for seniors. And, one of the reasons is because in the child abuse system there’s a very cohesive way of reporting. There’s a single number to report, there’s a way of tracking the cases, there’s a way of understanding the magnitude of what is happening out in the community,” explained Mackenzie.

“We don’t have that for seniors,” she said.

Those in her office believe there is a significant under-reporting of abuse and neglect among older adults.

In B.C., Mackenzie explained, there are about five or six different designated agencies a person can call about abuse and neglect of older adults.

“We don’t’ really have a robust tracking system to tell us, if a case is reported over here, is it the same case that is reported over there. And we just don’t really have a good handle on exactly where abuse and neglect is happening, who exactly it’s happening to,” she said.

“We have to grab this data set from this group, and this data set from this group, and this data set from this group – versus if we were looking, for example, at child abuse and neglect, we would go to one place where all the data are and we would have much more confidence in it,” she explained, adding that the current system impedes their work at doing the best possible job in preventing abuse and neglect with seniors.

The report examined current legislative protections, assessed reporting practices, and reviewed five years of existing data. More than 1,500 British Columbians were surveyed for the report and an additional 144 stakeholders were consulted in 25 communities throughout the province.

READ ALSO: Elder abuse can be reported through Crime Stoppers

Judith Macrae, coordinator for Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Katzie Community Response Network, whose main role is to increase awareness around self neglect and abuse through educational forums in the community, agreed with the report’s findings that there needs to be a provincial data base for senior’s abuse.

She is not surprised by the study and feels like there is much more abuse happening in the community than is known.

“We know that there’s a lot of shame that goes with abuse. Often the person being abused feels they are somehow responsible. And that’s just not so,” said Macrae.

Macrae noted that abuse is not something that people really talk about, and so when her group chooses a setting to discuss the topic, they try to make it as easy as possible for someone to come forward.

“We just need to get out there and help people feel comfortable and know that there is support out there,” she said.

“Everyone of us can make a difference, we just need to see it and ask about it,” added Macrae, noting that sometimes people see things and wonder, but don’t want to get involved.

ALSO: Seniors advocate calls for reporting line for abuse and neglect amid rising reports

“It’s important to check it out and see if there is something going on. If there is nothing that’s fine. but if there is something you could make a difference in somebody’s life.”

To see the full report Hidden and Invisible: Seniors Abuse and Neglect in British Columbia go to seniorsadvocatebc.ca/osa-reports/hidden-and-invisible-report/.

If you or someone you know is experiencing seniors abuse you can call the Seniors First BC, Seniors Abuse and Information Line, SAIL, from 8-8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 10-5:30 p.m. on the weekend, at 604-437-1940. Language interpretation is available from 9-4 p.m. during the week. SAIL is confidential and allows people to talk to a trained intake worker. Or dial or text 211, a free, confidential service run by the United Way British Columbia, that is available 24/7 in more than 150 languages.

For more information go to bc.211.ca or seniors-network.ca/resources.

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B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie spent time in Maple Ridge talking about her report released by her office in December called Hidden and Invisible: Seniors Abuse and Neglect in British Columbia. (Colleen Flanagan/The News)


Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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